The Cootamundra Strikers men’s side have slipped to fifth on the Pascoe Cup ladder after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Tolland Wolves at O’Connor Park on Sunday afternoon.
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With a host of key players injured and suspended, the Strikers featured a number of fresh faces taking their first steps at Cup level and looked to push Tolland for an early score.
The sides traded shots at goal in a see-sawing opening 30 minutes before the Strikers almost claimed the lead through a wobbling Adam McPhail chance.
It was Tolland, however, who had the last laugh before the break, pouncing on a high ball inside the Strikers box and netting it comfortably to take a 1-0 lead.
A Tolland free kick almost saw the lead doubled before halftime however the shot sailed high over the net.
The second half was a frustrating affair for the Strikers, who failed to capitalise on a number of tough chances in front of goal.
There was no lack of feeling on the ground either, with both sides putting their bodies on the line in a physical half of football littered with crunching tackles.
The Strikers had a chance to equalise in the dying stages following a strong corner from McPhail, but scrambling defence and a series of unforced errors returned to plague the home side as they slipped to a scoreless defeat.
Coach Brent Farnsworth said it was a difficult loss to swallow given the quality of those players who were unavailable.
The positive to take away is that we can still compete with these teams when we’re low on numbers
- Strikers coach Brent Farnsworth
However Farnsworth credited the efforts of those who played and said it was an important game for those younger squad members.
“Truth is we’re missing about five key players from our starting lineup and it really showed today,” Farnsworth said.
‘Some of the younger boys struggled at times with just executing basic skills under pressure at this level.
“Credit to them though, they’re still learning and will really benefit from this experience.”
Farnsworth rued a lack of ball retention, particularly in the second half, but said the 1-0 result showed his depleted side could still be competitive in the Pascoe Cup.
“We were giving away too much ball and kicking it straight to them at times, which was frustrating,” Farnsworth said.
“The positive to take away from this game is that we can still compete with these teams when we’re low on numbers.”
